A Place to Call Home
by Dulcineah
Summary: Set in S1, immediately after The Girlfriend. Ryan gets into deep trouble when he is accused of a violent crime shortly after his arrival in Newport. A Cohens plus one story.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Josh Schwartz and Co. own the O.C. I'm only borrowing them for the duration of this story.

Author's notes:

I've had the idea for this story in my head for about six months now, but made some modifications due to storylines in late S2. This story deals with some sensitive topics including accusations of rape, and may not be for those easily offended by such subjects. Also, I know little about the law and arrest procedures. **Cianconnell** was nice enough to help me out by answering my legal questions. Any errors and mistakes are solely mine.

Rating:

Probably a hard PG-13 due to mature subject matter and some adult language.

Timeline:

Early Season One, set a week or so after The Girlfriend.

Summary:

A Cohens plus one story. Ryan gets into deep trouble when he is accused of a violent crime shortly after he arrives in Newport.

**A Place To Call Home**

By Dulcey

There were times when Ryan felt like he was finally starting to fit into his new home. When he and Seth were battling each other in the ninja game, or when the Cohens were bantering with him and with each other over bagels in the morning, Ryan could pretend that he had always been here, had always been a part of this family. True, Sandy and Kirsten were quite different from his parents, and Seth and Trey didn't have a lot in common, but over the weeks that he'd been here, he had started to feel less like a guest in their home and more like…not part of the family, exactly, but that he might belong there. Like he was really the nephew from Seattle or Boston after all.

Outside the Cohen residence, however, was a different story. Most people in Newport looked at him like he was the same hardened criminal Sandy had thoughtlessly brought home to endanger the community. Ryan had spent most of tonight laying low, hoping that if he kept out of sight, he wouldn't have to put up with the stares and whispers that seemed to accompany him wherever he went. Honestly, he thought, he'd like Newport a lot better if they didn't have these damn charity events every single week. It would be nice to have a Saturday night off from feeling like he was on display.

At least tonight didn't seem too bad. Ryan had ducked out of the ballroom an hour ago and was now sitting on the front steps, studying the night sky and wishing he had a cigarette. Seth had disappeared to find Summer as soon as they'd arrived, and Sandy and Kirsten had been swallowed by a group of Newpsies. Before last week, he might have tried to find Marissa and hang out with her, but ever since she'd walked in on him with Gabrielle at Mr. Nichol's birthday party, she had refused to speak to him, or even look at him. Ryan had caught a glimpse of her earlier this evening, wrapped up in a hot and heavy embrace with Luke.

"It's too late," she'd told him last week as he'd watched Luke drop her off at home. Apparently she was right--Ryan had heard that Marissa and Luke were back together, more serious than ever. He wondered if she'd had feelings for him at all, or if he'd simply been a way for her to make Luke jealous.

Anyhow, it didn't matter now. Marissa had made her choice, and he'd lost whatever chance he had with her. Ryan sighed, thinking longingly of the half-empty pack of cigarettes he'd hidden in his sock drawer. What he wouldn't give to have one of them right now.

"Now, what have we here?" Ryan turned his head to see Marissa's friend Holly walking toward him, her lips curved up in a seductive smile. "Why are you hiding? You don't like parties?"

"It's not really my scene," he answered, trying not to stare at how low her green dress was cut in the front, and how nice her cleavage looked. He hadn't gotten laid in over three months, not since Theresa started going with Eddie.

"Watching Marissa and Luke suck face isn't my idea of a good time either," Holly agreed, plopping herself down on the step next to Ryan. "Luke's cute and all, but he shaves his chest."

Ryan smiled in spite of himself. "So I've heard."

"Really," Holly continued, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder in a way that looked both casual and incredibly sexy, "Marissa's missing out. You're better looking than Luke." Her eyes ran over him hungrily. "I bet you're better in bed too."

Ryan's eyes met Holly's. She still had that flirtatious smile on her lips, and her hand was resting lightly on his shoulder. "Uh, Holly, I don't know…"

She laughed. "Oh, I'm not like Marissa! I don't want to be your girlfriend or anything! I'm just suggesting that we sneak out for an hour or so. I brought my car, and my parents will be stuck here until at least eleven, so we'll have my house to ourselves." Her hand had moved, with her nails lightly ruffling the hair at the back of his neck. "It's just sex. No strings."

This felt more familiar to Ryan. He'd never had an actual relationship before, but he'd had a number of brief encounters and one-night stands. It wasn't something he was necessarily proud of, but it was comfortable.

He was vaguely aware that Holly was Marissa's friend, or had been. He wasn't sure if they were anymore, since the incident at Cotillion. But Marissa had obviously made her choice. Besides, Holly was hot, and he hadn't gotten laid in months. And considering that his pants suddenly felt too small, his body had already made the decision for him.

Holly smiled triumphantly as she grabbed his hand and tugged him to his feet. "Come on. Let's go."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Holly was true to her word, and after a very intense hour, she dropped Ryan off at the civic center, where the night's charity event was just beginning to wind down. She watched him go with a twinge of regret--he'd been as good as she'd thought, and it was rather a shame that she wouldn't get to have another go at him. He had served his purpose, though, and it was time to move on.

She only wished she could see the expression on Marissa Cooper's face when she heard the news. That stupid bitch, parading around Newport in her new clothes and new car when everyone knew that her father had robbed half of Orange County and Holly's father as well. It was time Marissa found out what betrayal felt like.

Holly could hardly wait.

Xoxoxoxoxoxo

Sandy was relieved when the evening finally began to come to an end. He was well used to Newport charity events, having been to at least two a month for the past ten years, but that didn't mean that he liked them. He would have been much happier staying at home, ordering pizza and watching TV and maybe having a go at Seth's ninja game. But Kirsten had been appointed chairperson for this particular shindig, and being a supportive husband, he had put on his coat and tie and went with his wife without a word of complaint.

He hadn't seen much of the boys this evening--he had caught a couple of glimpses of Seth trailing around after that girl he was so crazy about, Summer something, but he hadn't seen Ryan since they'd arrived. The kid was probably laying low, especially considering that Marissa Cooper had apparently reconciled with her boyfriend Luke. Sandy had gotten the sense that there had been something between Ryan and Marissa, and if there had been, Ryan was bound to be disappointed. Sandy couldn't blame him for wanting to hide out until the night was over.

But then he saw Ryan over by the front doors, and seized his chance to escape from a particularly dull conversation with a pair of Newpsies. "Kirsten, hon, I'm going to go round up the boys, all right?"

His wife gave him a not-so-pleased look, and Sandy knew she wasn't happy with him for abandoning her with these pretentious snobs, but she nodded her consent and Sandy realized for about the millionth time just how much he loved his wife. "Tell them we're about ready to leave."

It was music to Sandy's ears.

Ryan had disappeared sometime in the ninety seconds he'd been talking to Kirsten, but Sandy quickly relocated the teen. Ryan was leaning against the wall over by where the coat closet, and he noticeably startled when Sandy clapped him on the shoulder. Sandy made a mental note not to surprise the boy in the future.

"You ready to get out of here?" Sandy asked, forcing his voice to remain casual and cheerful. Ryan's clothes were disheveled, and Sandy wondered if he hadn't had an altercation with Luke or one of his friends. He bit back the question: he didn't want to falsely accuse Ryan of something he hadn't done. "Are you okay?"

Ryan nodded, but didn't meet Sandy's eyes. Somehow he didn't think the older man would approve of his sneaking away with Holly, even though he'd never been given any rules in regards to girls. Dawn Atwood hadn't cared if Ryan stayed out all night or had sex with girls, but he had a feeling that Sandy and Kirsten Cohen weren't quite so tolerant. "I'm fine," he answered, and forced a smile. "Ready to leave."

"A man after my own heart," Sandy answered lightly. "As soon as we find Seth, we'll be free to go."

"Isn't that him over there?" Ryan pointed across the room, where Seth was carrying two cups of punch and trailing after Summer Roberts, who appeared to be engrossed in a conversation with a friend of hers.

Sandy smiled. "Why don't you go get him while I find Kirsten?" he suggested. "I'd go, but I don't want to salt his game."

Ryan gave a little laugh, and this time his smile was genuine.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The Cohens were two blocks away from home when Kirsten noticed the flashing blue and red lights coming from her driveway. Instinctively she grabbed onto her husband's arm. "Sandy, what is that?"

Ryan's stomach gave an unpleasant lurch as he saw the black and white police car sitting in the Cohen's driveway. He hadn't done anything wrong, but seeing cops always made him feel as if he were about to be in serious trouble. He'd had several encounters with the police in his sixteen years, the most memorable being this summer when he and Trey had stolen the car, and none of them were what he would describe as pleasant.

But he hadn't done anything wrong, he couldn't possibly be in trouble. But if the police weren't here for him, then that meant there was bad news for the Cohens. The thought didn't make him feel any better.

Sandy pulled the Rover into the driveway next to the cop car and rolled down his window. "Can I help you?"

The cop sitting on the passenger's side, a stout, balding man flashed an ID badge. "We're with the Newport Beach Police Department, and we're looking for Ryan Atwood."

Ryan's stomach dropped to his knees as he felt Seth poke him in the side. "Dude, what's going on? You didn't beat up Luke tonight, did you?" he hissed in Ryan's ear.

Sandy turned around and fixed his gaze on Ryan. "Don't say anything, Ryan," he instructed firmly. "You too, Seth." He turned back to Baldy. "I'm Ryan Atwood's attorney. What's this all about?"

"We'd just like to ask Ryan a few questions," Baldy tried to assure Sandy. "We're investigating an incident that happened tonight, a complaint that was made by a girl who said she was with Mr. Atwood tonight."

"What do you mean, a complaint was made?" Sandy demanded. "What incident are you talking about?"

Baldy gave a great sigh. "All right," he said, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "A girl called 911 an hour ago, very distraught. She's claiming that she met Mr. Atwood at a charity event tonight, and that they had sexual intercourse."

He paused for a moment. "She's saying that Ryan raped her."


	2. Chapter 2

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

On Sandy's orders, Ryan followed Kirsten and Seth into the house, leaving his foster father and attorney to finish talking to the police. He was still in shock from hearing the accusation. Holly was saying that he'd raped her. He hadn't--Ryan would never, ever do anything like that, would never use any kind of violence against a woman. Anyone who knew him could tell you that, but that was the problem. He didn't know many people in Newport, and of those he did know, about ninety percent of them thought he was a juvenile delinquent-slash-car thief who was nothing but trouble.

Holly Fisher, on the other hand, was the daughter of one of Newport's wealthiest and well-known families. It didn't matter that Holly had come on to him, or that she had been the one who'd talked him into having sex with her. There were no witnesses, only his word against Holly's, and he had a pretty good idea who Newport was going to believe.

"Ryan, what's going on?" Seth was asking him, his eyebrows drawn together in a mixture of confusion and concern. "What happened tonight?"

"I don't know," Ryan mumbled. An even more disturbing thought came to him. What if the Cohens didn't believe that he was innocent? What if they didn't want him to live with them anymore? Kirsten had been wary enough of him when he was just a car thief, he wouldn't blame her if she decided that she didn't want a rapist anywhere near her family.

"Come on, dude," Seth pestered him. "Who's the girl? What exactly happened? I need details here."

"No, you don't," Kirsten interrupted. "Seth, upstairs. In your room, please, I don't want to catch you eavesdropping again."

Seth gave his mother a look of wide eyed innocence. "Mom, how could you ever think I'd do something like that?" He glanced at Ryan's expression, and dropped the teasing immediately. "Sorry."

He reluctantly trudged up the stairs, and Ryan didn't know whether to be grateful to have a rest from Seth's constant questioning, or uneasy that he no longer had a buffer between him and Kirsten. He sank onto a kitchen stool and rubbed a finger against the shiny granite countertop, afraid to meet Kirsten's eyes and whatever he might find in them.

There was a clicking noise as Seth's door closed upstairs. Kirsten pulled out another stool and sat down across the counter from Ryan. "What happened tonight, Ryan?"

Ryan was so nervous that he couldn't read her tone, couldn't tell if she was angry or upset or disappointed. "I didn't rape anyone," he offered timidly. "I'd never do anything like that." He risked a brief glance at her, but looked away immediately. "But I'll understand if you don't want me in your house anymore."

"I know we got off to a bumpy start," Kirsten began quietly. "And I can understand why you might think that. I know we're still getting to know each other, Ryan, but from everything I know about you, I don't think you're capable of hurting someone like that."

Ryan's eyes finally met hers, and she could see the skepticism in them. "You sound like you haven't made up your mind yet."

Kirsten sighed. "Sandy should be having this conversation with you, I'm not good with words like he is. I'm afraid I wasn't very clear just now."

Ryan didn't respond, but the worry lines creased in his forehead and the apprehension in his eyes spoke volumes.

"Do you remember when Seth and I came to visit you at the detention center?" Kirsten forced herself to continue, hoping to find the right words to give the boy the reassurance he so desperately needed from her. "When you got into a fight with that other boy because of what he was saying to me?"

Ryan nodded. "You brought me back here after that."

"I'm not saying that fighting that boy was the right thing to do, or that you don't get into trouble because you can't control your temper," Kirsten tried to explain. "But you respect women, Ryan. I've never seen you be anything but polite and respectful toward me, or Rosa, or even the Newpsies. And I can't believe that you could commit a crime like that. It goes against everything I've learned about you."

The apprehension was still in Ryan's eyes, but there was something else there now too, a flickering emotion that Kirsten thought might be hope. "Wow," Ryan said softly. "That's…I don't know what to say."

Kirsten reached across the counter and touched Ryan's hand. "It's okay. I believe you, Ryan."

The front door slammed, and seconds later Sandy joined them in the kitchen. "Wow."

"What do you mean, wow?" Kirsten demanded. "What's going to happen?"

"I don't know yet," Sandy admitted. "The girl has already talked to the police, and there are some lab tests out right now that should come back first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, Ryan, I need to hear from you exactly what happened tonight."

"I think I'll go see what Seth's up to," Kirsten excused herself. She briefly placed a hand on Ryan's back, and the warmth and weight of it made him feel a little better. Part of him wanted her to stay, but another, larger part was relieved that she was leaving. The conversation with Sandy wasn't going to be pleasant, and Kirsten might change her mind about letting him stay once she'd heard it.

That was, if Sandy didn't decide first to kick him out. After all, he'd been nothing but trouble since Sandy had brought him to Newport, and an incident like this could easily be the last straw. Even if he was innocent, the Cohens didn't need to get him out of trouble with the law every week.

Ryan heard Kirsten's footsteps on the stairs, and knew that he was alone in the kitchen with Sandy. He kept his eyes down and let his lawyer speak first.

"What happened, Ryan?" Sandy asked, sensing the boy's fear and keeping his voice soft. "What went on tonight?"

"I didn't rape Holly," Ryan answered quietly. "I'm not that kind of person, Sandy. I'd never do something like that."

"I know, Ryan," Sandy tried to reassure him. "No one in this family thinks you would. I need you to remember that."

"Okay," Ryan agreed, but Sandy heard the reluctance in his voice and knew the boy would need a lot more convincing. There was nothing he could say right now that could make Ryan believe him. Only by staying by his side and supporting him throughout this ordeal could he prove that he meant what he said.

"Why don't we start at the beginning?" Sandy suggested. "Where were you when you first saw the girl--Holly--tonight?"

Ryan felt himself relax a little--this question wasn't so bad. "I was outside, sitting on the front steps. I was taking a little breather from the event."

"Perfectly understandable," Sandy agreed.

"Then Holly came out and sat by me on the steps," Ryan continued. "She said she was tired of watching Marissa and Luke make out, and that…" he paused, his face starting to flush. "Is this important?"

"I need to hear everything that happened," Sandy answered gently. "Even if you think something isn't important, it could turn out to be crucial. I need to know everything that happened between you and Holly."

Ryan sighed. "She said that she thought Marissa had made a mistake because I was better looking than Luke," he mumbled. "And that I was probably better in bed too."

"Then what happened?" Sandy prompted.

"She said that her parents would be at the charity event until at least eleven and her house would be empty till then," Ryan finished quietly. "And that it would just be sex, no strings attached."

"So you had sex, then?" Sandy asked.

Ryan nodded, too embarrassed and too nervous to look at Sandy. "Yeah."

"Did she change her mind at any point?" Sandy continued. "Did she ever tell you no, she didn't want to have sex?"

Ryan shook his head. "No." Holly had been the leader throughout the night's encounter, although he had been a perfectly willing participant.

"Did you use protection?" was Sandy's next question. Ryan would have been mortified if he wasn't so afraid about what was going to happen to him.

"Uh, yeah," Ryan mumbled. He waited for a moment, hoping Sandy would satisfied with that answer, but gave in and added "I had a condom in my wallet."

"All right," Sandy agreed. "I think we're done for now."

"Thank God," Ryan groaned.

"Like I said before, Holly's lab tests should come back first thing tomorrow morning," Sandy continued. "Since the two of you had sex, the tests will indicate that, but that's all that they'll be able to show, not whether it was consensual or not. It's probably going to come down to your word against Holly's."

"I wonder who everyone's going to believe," Ryan muttered.

"You forget you've got the mighty Sandy Cohen working for you," Sandy protested, trying to coax a smile out of Ryan.

"Yeah, I do." Ryan forced a smile for Sandy's sake.

"Anyhow, when the lab results come in, the DA will likely issue a warrant for your arrest," Sandy continued. "But they're going to give me a call when that happens, and I've been given permission to take you down to the police station myself. I'll have you out of there in no time."

"Fine," Ryan agreed listlessly.

"You're not alone with this, Ryan," Sandy insisted. "You've got everyone in this family behind you."

"Thanks," Ryan answered, but his eyes were still on the counter and Sandy could tell that the boy didn't really believe him. "Is it okay if I go to bed now?"

"All right," Sandy gave in. "I'll get you up tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Fine," Ryan said again, wanting very much to get away and have some time to think on his own. Or not think. Even better.

He said goodnight to Sandy and made his escape to the pool house. He collapsed onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He'd been stupid to think that he could have a fresh start in Newport. The people here would never give him a chance, would never believe that he was anything more than a dangerous criminal who had scammed his way into the Cohen's home.

There were no second chances, not when you were from Chino.

Especially not when you were an Atwood.


End file.
